1. God’s Character

Seven Compelling Evidences

If we turn to the Bible as our highest authority in every area
(including how we defend the Bible itself!), we will discover that we can appeal
to no greater authority than God Himself. If we had to appeal to another authority
to prove what God said, then God wouldn’t be our ultimate authority.

How can we help people believe that the Bible is true? The answer may be surprising
to many. It is not by scientific, archaeological, or historical evidences, important
though these may be in their proper place. It is not even by fulfilled prophecy!
It is by sharing with others—based on our own knowledge of Scripture—the matchless
character of the God who ultimately wrote the Bible.

Peter, the chief of the apostles, put it this way: “Sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts . . . [and by this means you will] always be ready to give a defense
to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness
and fear; having a good conscience” (1 Peter 3:15–16).

To “sanctify the Lord God,” as the nation of Israel had been taught for centuries,
was to set Him apart from all other “gods.” It meant to honor Him supremely,
to think and act in the light of His glory. This is profoundly significant in
providing an effective witness. After all, none of us can pressure or manipulate
a human heart to believe in the God of the Bible.

Only the Holy Spirit can convict sinners and change hearts (John 16:8; Jeremiah
17:9–10). We “sanctify” God by relying on His own Word and His Spirit to convince
people about His unsurpassable qualities, including His holiness, wisdom, love,
and truthfulness.

By This Shall All Men Know . . .

What does this have to do with knowing that the Bible is true?

Our main role is to honor the Author of the Bible by our own lives and words.
You may not have heard of this as “evidence” before, but it is extremely important
for Christians to realize. Through our Bible-enriched words and our changed
lives, we give evidence of the truth of the One who inspired the Bible and says
it is “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). If our individual lives do not exhibit
Jesus’s transforming power, why should anyone believe that His words had the
power to create the universe?

Not just God’s truthfulness but the whole gamut of His qualities convinces
sinners about the truth of His Word. In fact, one of the most profound character
traits of the Author of the Bible—love—is critical when we can testify about
Him.

God’s unique self-sacrificial love (agape in the original Greek) is unlike
any love we experience in normal life. This love comes from God, and He wants
sinners to see it in His followers, as part of our effective witness. “Beloved,
let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born
of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love”
(1 John 4:7–8).

Whenever God’s love is reflected through a believer’s life and words, unbelievers
will recognize something genuinely divine.

They will sense that the God of Scripture
is real, and they will be convicted about the truth and power of His Word. Here
is the way our Lord explained it: “By this all will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35).

How does this work in practice? When unsaved people living in spiritual darkness
observe God’s special self-sacrificial love at work, they will be deeply affected
by seeing something they have never experienced. A powerful example is a loving
relationship between a Christian man and his wife, and between Christian parents
and their children. Another example is the deep love displayed within a local
church (Ephesians 4:15–16).

This love cannot be explained or experienced apart from the true and living
God, who created every human being with a mind, a soul, and a conscience that
can know Him and see Him in His Word.

God’s love compels us to go out and share the truth about salvation (2 Corinthians
5:14). As we “sanctify the Lord in our hearts,” the Holy Spirit will then use
our lives and words—spoken “with meekness and fear”—to convince sinners about
the truth of His Word.

The bottom line: God Himself vindicates His Word as people see Him honored
in His Word and in the lives of His children.

Answers Magazine

April – June 2011

Continual attacks on God’s Word can cause even Christians to question the Bible. Are you prepared to answer the attacks, or more important, questions from those who honestly want to learn how we know God’s Word is true? This issue of Answers will burrow down to the heart of the matter, highlighting seven reasons we know the Bible is true!

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Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ effectively. We focus on providing answers to questions about the Bible—particularly the book of Genesis—regarding key issues such as creation, evolution, science, and the age of the earth.